STEM Careers for the Prospective Middle School Student
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Author: Matt Daley, Mike Dinan & Katie Higgins
School District: Madrid-Waddington Central School
Intended Audience:
Content Area: NYS Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS)
Course Title: Career Studies
Grade Level: Fifth
Technology Integration:
Technology Hardware: Computer Lab
Technology Software: Internet
Internet Resources: www.nycareerzone.org
Other Content Areas for STEM Integration:
Content Area: ELA, MST
New York State Learning Standards and Performance Indicators Addressed by this Learning Experience:
Include the full wording of the standard(s) and specific performance indicator(s).
NYS Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies
Standard 1: Career Development
Students will be knowledgeable about the world of work, explore career options, and relate personal skills, aptitudes and abilities to future career decisions.
Standard 2: Integrated Learning
Students will demonstrate how academic knowledge and skills are applied in the workplace and other settings.
Standard 3a: Universal Foundation Skills
Students will demonstrate mastery of the foundation skills and competencies essential for success in the workplace.
Standard 3b: Career Majors
Students who choose career major will acquire the career-specific technical knowledge/skills necessary to progress toward gainful employment, career advancement and success in post-secondary programs.
Problem Statement:
This should be posed as a problem that students will be addressing. This will be the focus of the learning experience.
Exposure to career education and connecting STEM studies today with future careers possibilities are perspectives rarely explored in the classroom. The focus of this learning experience is to raise awareness of careers that require skills in STEM subjects during the Middle School and High School years.
Essential Question:
This is one focus question that promotes inquiry based learning and allows for multiple solutions and processes.
How will STEM studies be applicable in the future careers’ of our students?
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this learning experience students will be able to:
Identify a career that interests them and relate that to STEM subjects in the present and near future.
Necessary Resources:
List all materials that the teacher or students need to complete this learning experience.
Textbook(s), Workbook(s):
Reference Book(s):
Handout(s): STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Occupations for 5th Graders at Madrid-Waddington ( 2 page worksheet), Madrid-Waddington Central School Graduation Requirements, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Classes at Madrid-Waddington
Other: Madrid-Waddington District web-site. Computer lab.
Steps for Implementing Learning Experience:
List the actions that take place during this learning experience.
First Class Meeting: Students assemble in the computer lab to create a user profile on the NY Careeer Zone web-site. Students complete a 180 question interest inventory (O*Net Profiler) and review their results and the meaning of the 6 personality/work types the interest profile determines. Students use the first page of the worksheet to document their findings.
Second Class Meeting:Counselors visit the 5th grade classroom prior to moving to the computer lab to continue the lesson. Begin the lesson by distributing the Graduation requirements and Counselors explain the graduation requirements highlighting Science, Math and Technology requirements.
Counselors distribute a sheet with the required classes and alternative classes and programs available to students in Grades 6-12 at M-W in STEM subjects. After a question and answer period, students and counselors assemble in the computer lab to investigate 5 careers that have been suggested by the career zone web-site after taking the interest profile. Working with School Counselors, students document the following information about a career on the second and third page of their worksheet: job desciption, interests, tasks, skills, knowledge, education, school programs, wages, job outlook, additional resources and similar jobs. Students are instructed to pick one career and prepare an oral presentation for the next class. Students are provided an additional worksheet detailing the STEM classes required and offered throughout their Junior High and High School careers.
Third Class Meeting: Students report to their class about a career they would like to pursue and the relevance of STEM subjects to that career choice.
Instructional Modifications:
List all modifications to the classroom setting as well as those used to enhance learning for all students.
Time used for Planning:
Time spent without students to prepare.
Time for Implementation & Assessment:
List each day that the learning experience occurs along with the timeframe of the day in minutes.
May 14- 10:45-11:30, June 3- 10:15-11:30
Assessment Tools:
List all forms of assessment for the learning experience.
The O*NET Interest Profiler on the NY Career Zone web-site.
Reflection:
Share the pros and cons of the learning experience. State any modifications that you would make next time this lesson is implemented.
Student Work:
Attach one sample of student work that demonstrates a mastery, average, or below average level.
Rigor and Relevance Target:
The Rigor/Relevance Framework has four quadrants. Each is labeled with a term that characterizes the learning performance of the student at that level. Select the quadrant that is most appropriate regarding this learning experience.
Provide Supporting Information to Validate the Quadrant in Which This Learning Experience is Located.
Students will gather and process information about themselves and a particular career so this learing experience can best be characterized in the Acquisition quadrant. Students are asked to look at their education with the big picture in mind and to relate their present studies with their dreams of the future.
